Camp NaNo Update Day #11

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To coin a phrase, when it comes to POV, “The struggle is real!”

POV or Point of View is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story.

Who’s telling the story? Whose point of view will bring the reader into the story?

The wrong—or too many—points of view can confuse, annoy, or bore a reader to tears… and lead them to walk away from a book.

There are four primary POV types in fiction:

First person point of view. First person is when “I” am telling the story. …
Second person point of view. The story is told to “you.” …
Third person point of view, limited. The story is about “he” or “she.” …
Third person point of view, omniscient.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right?

When it’s successful, readers won’t notice. The story flows. They’re seeing the plot unwind through the protagonist’s eyes or rotate between characters or the unseen narrator.

When it’s not successful?

“Houston, we have a problem.”

If the point of view isn’t clear, the story isn’t clear.

Who’s talking? When did they get here? What are they talking about?

Confused POV can lead to head-hopping.

What is head-hopping? Technically, it’s having more than one POV in a scene.

I emphasize technically because authors will argue vehemently in favor of or against it. Some say it depends on the genre, while others say it’s the trope, and still, others say don’t do it at all.

I like third person, omniscient because I can avoid most of the confusion… and because I’m nosy and want to know what everyone is seeing, thinking, and feeling. But even that can bring problems if the writer lapses and writes what they’re thinking instead of their character. The third person narrative becomes first person and readers are like, “Wait, what happened?”

Or maybe that’s just me.

I’m trying something different (for me) with Sins of the Mother. It feels right so far. But then, no one has read the NaNo version except me.

Guess I’ll be sharing excerpts soon.

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Day 11 word count – 21,309

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©2018 Felicia Denise, All Rights Reserved

Camp NaNo Update Day #10

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I come across a good post about writing schedules almost daily. Many authors and bloggers have unique and precise methods of ensuring time is allotted daily for writing.

My writing schedule looks like a casual suggestion.

Don’t get me wrong, I write something every day… at some point. The schedule part? That’s tricky.

I’m not disciplined enough to say, “I must write,” then sit down and do it.

If it’s editing or revising—words already written—I’m all in.

New dialogues and scenes? It’s complicated.

My stories are character-driven and if characters aren’t talking, I’m not writing.

However, that is not the case during NaNoWriMo/Camp NaNoWriMo, or any writing challenge.

For thirty days I write at the same time everyday, almost always exceeding my word count goal, then move on to something else.

First day after the challenge ends, I’m back to pencil-tapping and scrolling through Twitter.

It’s obvious I need supervision.

Writing challenges have deadlines not imposed by me.

To succeed, I have to play by guidelines not imposed by me.

See a pattern forming here?

I need accountability… and not to myself. I’ll blow me off faster than anyone.

Guess it’s a good thing for folks like me NaNoWriMo recently announced they’re launching an updated website later this year which includes YEAR-ROUND writing support.

This is a good thing. Perhaps I’ll actually adapt to a writing schedule which lasts longer than thirty days.

Anything is possible.

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Day 10 word count – 17,281

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©2018 Felicia Denise, All Rights Reserved

Wordless Wednesday

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sun

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Image from Pixabay

Camp NaNo Update Day #9

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NaNoWriMo/Camp NaNoWriMo has very few rules.

The goal is to write, write, write and get that book, blog project, or screenplay out of your head and on to paper. It doesn’t have to be perfect because the first draft never is.

That being said, NaNo’s most famous rule is no editing.

Editing takes time and patience. Time can be lost while a writer searches for the perfect phasing or a different way to describe bad breath.

The focus on the writing is gone. Frustration levels are high. Goals are not met.

That’s why NaNo encourages writers to turn off their inner editor. Bound and gag them and toss them in the proverbial closet. Send them on a virtual vacation…. whatever it takes to not edit during the writing challenge.

It’s difficult in the beginning. When writers see those read squiggly or double blue lines, our brain tells us to fix it. But the minute we get involved in editing, we’ve abandoned the writing.

Example: The word that is misspelled as thst. You go back to correct it but then get confused. Should it be that or which? Which is it? By the time you find the definitions you’re looking for in your jumbled writing notes, you’re tired and annoyed and walk away from your WIP.

Writing time gone.

By my second challenge, I’d gotten quite skilled at not editing during the month. I remember my April 2017 Camp Nano WIP was a hot mess as far as errors go. There were so many red squiggly and double blue lines on the white background, my smart-ass son would peer over my shoulder and salute it. (He’s no longer allowed to visit during writing challenges)

So as much as I believe in the no editing rule during Camp NaNo I am actually editing while writing this time.

Calm down.

I am adding to an existing WIP, right? Meaning I am cutting some scenes and extending others.

How could I not edit as I go?

Because another Nano rule-of-thumb I follow is to put the WIP away at the end of the challenge for at least a month. If I didn’t edit and make changes NOW once I go back to the WIP it would take me another year to figure out what the heck was going on.

And I don’t need that kind of stress in my life. I’m married and I have a dog. Isn’t that enough?

😀

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Day 9 word count – 17341

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Want to see where this WIP came from?

The Devil You Know

©2018 Felicia Denise, All Rights Reserved

#MondayBlog Humor in Suspense

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Do you know someone who’s serious all the time?

You know the type you tell a joke or a funny story then they feel compelled to break it down, analyze it and explain the rationale?

Yeah, those people.

Author E. B. White once said, “Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind.”

My older brother was like that from the ages of twenty-five to forty.

Everything was a debate, discussion, or monologue. Even when I believed a conversation was over, he’d come back with more supporting facts or data. It was exhausting being around him.

We had seven other siblings, and when the rest of us were busy with the shenanigans and tomfoolery, big brother was always the ice-cold bucket of water tossed on the fun. We called him “The Pope” and no, we’re not Catholic.

I was a member of the wedding party when he got married at twenty-five (to a woman with a great sense of humor). Then he moved to the east coast, I moved to the west coast, and we met up at our parents’ once a year in the Midwest.

It worked.

I’m not sure what caused it, but something happened as he approached forty which made him dust off the dull and polish up his sense of humor. Suddenly, he found the humor in even the most morose situations.

We all exhaled and sighed in relief. Even our mom and he’s her favorite.

Life is serious.

But life is also funny, and it’s the humor that gets us through the serious, bad times.

Humor diffuses situations and lightens moments, and in those moments we often find clarity.

Humor is different things to different people. One person might dissolve into a fit of laughter over a joke or humorous situation while another might say, “I don’t get it.” The opportunity for humor was there even if it didn’t work for everyone.

It’s the same way with books.

No two people read the same book. We’re all different, so, we approach books with different mindsets. Two people can love the same book but for different reasons. A person can love a book so much they want the entire human race to read it while another can hate it with a passion intense as ten flaming suns. They want to burn the book, bury the ashes, salt the ground, and never speak of it again.

People are funny that way.

But most can agree a book must contain certain things to hold their interest, make them care, and inspire them to read on.

Developed characters with personalities – they don’t have to be liked (it helps) but readers should be on their side.

Conflict – and it should be believable

Pacing – the story cannot drag but readers don’t want to be rushed through scenes either.

A developed storyline or plot – what makes the reader care?

Satisfying conclusion or HEA – aliens are defeated, the world is saved, good guy gets the girl.

For me, there also must be humor.

I’m not referring to laugh-out-loud, thigh-slapping humor, although in some genres like Romantic Comedy, that’s what is expected.

Rhetoric or hyperbole can be used to create humor, or the irony of the current situation can be humorous but it needs to be in the story because it’s real.

The fun-loving, loyal sidekick takes a bullet for the story’s protagonist. During his death scene, he motions for his buddy to lean in close and whispers, “You know I was supposed to be off today, right?”

He still dies, it’s still sad, but it’s not depressing.

Who reads to get depressed?

In the midst of serial crimes, brutal beatings, and missing persons, I will find a way to insert humor.

Because art imitates life.

“Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.”

George Bernard Shaw

©2018 Felicia Denise, All Rights Reserved

Camp NaNo Update #8

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Reading time – 1 min, 10 sec.

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Character development—or lack of—can make or break any story.

And just as the protagonist must be fleshed out so does the antagonist.

We may or may not like the antagonist.

They could be truly evil, intent on destroying the very fiber of goodness.

Or their actions could be a defense mechanism in place because of a tortured past or traumatic event.

It doesn’t matter. They’re standing in the way of the protagonist’s HEA or causing them harm, so someone must deal them with.

But shouldn’t we know at least some of what is driving them?

No one wants to destroy good just for the hell of it. I mean… it’s good! Doesn’t everyone like good? What happened to our character to make good bad for them? What was the trauma that built a wall around them? Were they betrayed by some they trusted? Loved?

I addressed some of these things with the villain in Sins of the Mother. I didn’t have the time or opportunity to go too deep with him, but I found out about his history. While I may not understand why he commits the crimes he does, I believe I understand how he got that way.

And I want to save him.

But much like Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Erik in The Phantom of the Opera, the fate of my antagonist is sealed from birth. While he doesn’t have a physical or facial deformity, his soul is deformed and his mind, fractured. By the time I meet him, he is unredeemable.

I have to let go and allow him to play his part in my protagonist’s journey.

But I don’t have to like it.

©2018 Felicia Denise, All Rights Reserved

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Day 8 word count – 16101

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Camp NaNo Update #7

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Camp NaNoWriMo’s week one is done and gone!

How did you do?

I’m happy with where I’ve landed, just still in shock I’m writing suspense. Wasn’t I supposed to be writing romance? Well, that never happened.

Check out the board! I’ve got Act 2:1 completed!

SOTM Outline Acts

Act 2:1 is the most difficult because that’s where all the mystery and unknown elements leave everyone scratching their heads. (Me, included!)

That’s not saying Act 2:2 will be a piece of cake but thank goodness for revisions!

Remember, this began as a piece of flash fiction back in March, And, YES, I know… 41K is not considered flash fiction anywhere in the cosmos. The story kept growing and growing, and when I said, “I don’t want to do this anymore,” the characters grabbed me and said, “Oh, you’re doing it!”

What? Your characters don’t talk to you?

Weird.

Okay! Last Sunday I posted the working cover for Sins of the Mother—this week, the synopsis!

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A serial rapist is terrorizing Marbury, his victims all elderly women over seventy.

With her husband off on a business trip, fifty-three-year-old Sally Bennett is home alone, making plans for their wedding anniversary bash.

That is until the former Army medic has to fill in for a coworker at Angels Assist Care Agency and spend the night with a seventy-year-old client, Graciela Ramirez.

Gary Sievers is seething with rage—fifty years’ worth.

At last free of the monster who kept him imprisoned since birth, Gary sets out into a world he’s seen only through the Internet, allowing his anger to spill free a little at a time.

He’s invisible to the world, his existence known about by only a handful and most of them are long since dead. But his crimes are growing… and making headlines.

Gary wants the life stolen from him, he wants to find the twin brother he never knew existed, and he wants revenge on the woman responsible for it all.

The captive has become the monster looking for his own twisted brand of justice.

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FYI—I wrote the synopsis about ten days before Camp Nano began and it has since changed but I’m not rewriting it… yet.

Next week, an excerpt!

Have a great week two! Happy writing!

Day 7 word count – 14461

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Song Lyric Sunday | “Think of Me” from ‘Phantom of the Opera'” (2004 Film)

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Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

The theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “think.”

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I just had to be patient and bide my time. 😀

I knew I’d get to post a song from my favorite opera and one of my favorite movies!

A lifelong Phantom of the Opera fan, I also raised my daughter on the Opera Ghost. Separately, we’re pretty annoying. Together… well, you’d probably lock us in a closet. 😀

If you’ve read Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux and seen the Broadway stage production or any of the movies—1925, 1943, 2004—you know none of the remakes closely adhere to the original. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage play is the best, Rupert Julian’s 1925 silent theatrical version starring Lon Chaney is the scariest… and I have no words for the 1943 musical horror version except NO… just NO! (Yes, it won Oscars but technicolor was new! 😀 )

But it’s Webber’s 2004 theatrical version which brought Phantom of the Opera to the general public. Starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, and Minnie Driver as Carlotta.

When the vain and spoiled Carlotta suffers an accident, (thank you, Phantom!) Christine Daae sings Think of Me, wins the role and becomes a star!

The main lyrics are about the amicable end of a relationship. Lyrics do differ between theatrical and stage productions, however, the video and lyrics below are from the 2004 film.

If for some bizarre, unexplainable reason you’ve never read or seen the Phantom of the Opera, it’s currently playing on Netflix. You’re welcome! 🙂

Enjoy!

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection on Nesie’s Place.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhfaOqqr0RM

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Think of Me (from Phantom of the Opera)

Sang by Christine & Raoul (Emmy Rossum & Patrick Wilson) in the 2004 film

Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe

Compiled from Genius Lyrics, YouTube, Wikipedia, and Google.

Camp NaNo Update #6

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I knew it was going to happen, just not this soon.

There’s always a character I didn’t plan on… or even knew, who shows up and plants themselves in the story.

This time, there were TWO and they couldn’t be more different.

A nineteen-year-old girl and an old man in his eighties.

Don’t quote me on this but the girl might be a ghost.

The old dude is just plain ornery… and a criminal.

What’s bizarre is how well they fit into the story. Which means someone else needs to leave. It’s getting crowded in Marbury, Pennsylvania.

Geeze, do I have to commit another murder?

Stay tuned.

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The first week of Camp NaNoWriMo is coming to an end. It’s been a good week. Looking forward to next week. I’m dying to know how some problems get resolved!

Day 6 word count – 12, 050.